Every year before Christmas Queen Sonja pays visits to institutions for various social groups such as children, vulnerable women, elderly people, the homeless and substance abusers. The Queen seeks to follow up her interest in social issues to the greatest extent possible, attending conferences and key events for organisations dealing with relevant issues. Her Majesty was awarded the Nansen Medal by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for her efforts. Queen Sonja served as Vice President of the Norwegian Red Cross from 1987 to 1990. The Queen also served as patron for the telethon campaigns in 2010, 20. Queen Sonja was a member of the committee for the first nationwide humanitarian telethon campaign in 1974, which raised funds for refugees.
She has been patron of and has played an active role in a variety of large-scale fundraising initiatives.
Queen Sonja has a strong sense of social engagement. In addition to her many official duties the Queen also takes active part in following up internal activities relating to the Palace and the other Royal Residences. The Queen carries out a multitude of different tasks including travelling, official visits, participation at events all over the country, audiences, receptions and meetings at the Royal Palace. They often use the Royal Yacht Norgeto travel along the Norwegian coast. Their stay lasts 2-3 days, during which time they pay visits to several municipalities. The Queen accompanies the King on official state visits abroad, and she participates when foreign heads of state pay official visits to Norway.Įvery year the King and Queen usually pay a visit to a county in Norway. The following year, the entire Royal Family conducted a 22-day tour of Norway’s four northernmost counties. In connection with the consecration ceremony, the King and Queen conducted a 10-day tour of Southern Norway. In accordance with their own wishes, King Harald and Queen Sonja were consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 23 June 1991. Subsequently, the Queen, frequently together with Crown Prince Haakon, has accompanied the King to the formal opening of the fall session of the Storting and the reading of the Speech from the Throne.
This marked the first time in 69 years that a Norwegian Queen had been present in the Storting. Queen Sonja accompanied King Harald when he swore his oath to uphold the Constitution in the Storting on 21 January 1991. King Harald and Queen Sonja have two children, Princess Märtha Louise, born on 22 September 1971, and Crown Prince Haakon, born on 20 July 1973. The wedding was held in Oslo Cathedral on 29 August 1968, and Miss Sonja Haraldsen became the Crown Princess of Norway. The Norwegian people immediately accepted Crown Princess Sonja as a member of the Royal Family. There was far less resistance to the idea of the Crown Prince choosing a commoner to be his wife than many had feared. The engagement between Miss Haraldsen and Crown Prince Harald triggered a debate regarding the future of the monarchy in Norway. In March 1968 it was announced that King Olav had given his consent for the Crown Prince to marry a commoner. It was not until nine years later, however, that she and the Crown Prince were given permission to marry. Miss Sonja Haraldsen grew up in the district of Vinderen in Oslo and first met Crown Prince Harald in 1959.
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